Boston post-hardcore group Vanna's anticipated sophomore album, A New Hope, is out now on Epitaph Records. Produced and mixed by Steve Evetts (Every Time I Die, Our Last Night, Story of the Year) and mastered by Alan Douches (Converge), A New Hope emphasizes the band's heightened musical abilities, balancing a perfect blend of emotive rock and perilous hardcore with refined precession.
Since the release of Vanna's fan-favorite debut EP, The Search Party Never Came, and their follow-up full-length, Curses, the band has been on a continuous musical journey, evolving, exploring and maturing with each release and tour. With the experience of using what works and letting go of what doesn't, the band tackled the writing and recording of A New Hope with an added perspective and understanding.
"The writing and recording process naturally becomes more dialed and decisive with each record," explains lead vocalist Chris Preece. "This record was approached with more of a group mentality. We talked a lot about what we liked and disliked about our last two releases, and each one of us were able to express ourselves in every step of the process. We locked ourselves in our practice space for two months, everyone threw out song ideas, and the ideas were fleshed out into something that we were all happy with. All of our individual influences and inspirations played a big role creatively."
Creativity abounds. A New Hope grabs Vanna's core fans with catchy songs fueled by intense breakdowns, while their accessible melodious song-writing will open the door to a new audience.
Continually elevating their game, Vanna have raised the musical stakes with a bombardment of twelve tracks that invoke a deluge of sensations. Preece's guttural screams and Evan Pharmakis' (guitarist/vocals) melodic choruses seamlessly duel on tracks like the epic post-hardcore anthem for the ages, "Safe To Say," and the sweeping hit "The Same Graceful Wind." The fast, ferocious work of guitarist Nick Lambert, bassist Shawn Marquis and drummer Chris Campbell provide a wall of intense sound on tracks like "Thrashmouth" and "Life and Limb."
Vanna's undying passion for creating and growing musically has resulted in one of the best post-hardcore releases in years. Resistance is futile.
